March 29, 2012
Word of the Day

ZOOMORPHIC
audio pronunciation
\zoh-uh-MOR-fik\

DEFINITION

adjective
1
: having the form of an animal
2
: of, relating to, or being a deity conceived of in animal form or with animal attributes

EXAMPLES

Using her new cookie cutters, Angela baked a batch of zoomorphic cookies to bring to the kids in her niece's classroom.

"The historic Lobero Theatre will be transformed into a rain forest for State Street Ballet's matinee production of The Jungle Book, which boasts some of the most dazzling zoomorphic costumes ever made." — From a review by Elizabeth Schwyzer in the Santa Barbara Independent (California), January 13-20, 2011

DID YOU KNOW?

"Zo-" (or "zoo-") derives from the Greek word "zōion," meaning "animal," and "-morph" comes from the Greek "morphē," meaning "form." These two forms combined to give us the adjective "zoomorphic," which was first used in English to describe something that resembles an animal in 1872. English includes other words that were formed from "zo-" or "zoo-," such as "zoology" (made with "-logy," meaning "science"). And there are also other words that were formed from "-morph," such as "pseudomorph," for a mineral having the outward form of another species. (The combining form "pseud-" or "pseudo-" means "false.")

March 30, 2012
Word of the Day

ATAVISM
audio pronunciation
\AT-uh-viz-um\

DEFINITION

noun
1
a : recurrence in an organism of a trait or character typical of an ancestral form and usually due to genetic recombination b : recurrence of or reversion to a past style, manner, outlook, approach, or activity
2
: one that manifests atavism : throwback

EXAMPLES

"Examples of atavisms in animals include the appearance of reptilian teeth in a mutant chicken or vestigial hind legs in a whale." — From Kate Rheaume-Bleue's 2011 book Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox: How a Little-Known Vitamin Could Save Your Life

"He was a magnificent atavism, a man so purely primitive that he was of the type that came into the world before the development of the moral nature." — From Jack London's 1904 novel The Sea-Wolf

DID YOU KNOW?

"Atavism" derives via French from Latin "atavus," meaning "ancestor." "Avus" in Latin means "grandfather," and it's believed that the "at" is related to "atta," a word for "daddy." "Atavism" is a term rooted in evolutionary study, referring to instances when an organism possesses traits closer to a more remote ancestor, rather than its own parents. That sense dates to the early part of the 19th century. The word's figurative sense is a more recent development. These days one might describe a building that looks like it's from an earlier era as an atavism, or (though some people might cringe at this) apply the word to activities like reading actual paper books in the age of electronics.

April 01, 2012
Word of the Day

DEVIOUS
audio pronunciation
\DEE-ve-us\

DEFINITION

adjective
1
: deviating from a straight line : roundabout
2
: behaving wrongly : errant
3
: tricky, cunning; also : deceptive

EXAMPLES

Our guide took us by a devious route to the center of the city.

"Former Congresswoman Jane Harman's resignation shortly after winning reelection in November 2010 struck many as a typically devious move on her part." — From an article by Paul Rosenberg in Random Lengths, January 12, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

If you think someone devious has lost their way, you're right, etymologically speaking — the word derives from the Latin adjective "devius," itself formed from the prefix "de-" ("from" or "away") and the noun "via" ("way"). When "devious" was first used in the late 16th century, it implied a literal wandering off the "way," suggesting something that meandered or had no fixed course (as in "a devious route" or "devious breezes"). Relatively quickly, however, the word came to suggest someone or something that had metaphorically rather than literally left the "right path" or to deceitful (rather than "straight"-forward) behavior.

April 04, 2012
Word of the Day

RASH
audio pronunciation
\RASH\

DEFINITION

adjective
: marked by or proceeding from undue haste or lack of deliberation or caution

EXAMPLES

He often doesn't think before he speaks, and this is not the first time he has had to apologize for his rash comments.

"Many colleges have yet to send out their final acceptances. So before making a rash decision, sit tight and wait to hear back from all your colleges." — From an article by Purvi S. Mody in the San Jose Mercury News (California), March 19, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

The earliest known uses of "rash" (then spelled "rasch") occur in a northern dialect of 15th-century Middle English. Its earlier origins are not known for sure, though it is clearly related to a number of similar words in the Germanic languages, including Old High German "rasc" ("fast, hurried, strong, clever"), Old Norse "röskr" ("brave, vigorous"), and Middle Dutch "rasch" ("quick, nimble, agile, vigorous"). It is not, however, related to the English noun "rash" ("an eruption on the body," as in a "skin rash"). The noun "rash," which first appeared in English in the 1700s, comes by way of French and Vulgar Latin from Latin "rasus," the past participle of "radere" ("to scrape" or "to shave").

April 05, 2012
Word of the Day

COCKALORUM
audio pronunciation
\kah-kuh-LOR-um\

DEFINITION

noun
1
: a boastful and self-important person
2
: boastful talk

EXAMPLES

No one believed Marty's cockalorum about being an expert pool player, and as it turned out, he was indeed just as bad as the rest of us.

"No one is saying Little Floyd is a conniving little cockalorum, but … he would very much like to add another belt to his legacy. It is with much certainty, on his part, that he will."— From an article by Paul Strauss on EastsideBoxing.com, August 6, 2011

DID YOU KNOW?

The image of a rooster (a.k.a. [censored]) strutting confidently across the barnyard or belting out a triumphant crow has long been associated with brash self-confidence. It's an association that has left quite a mark on the English language, giving us "crow" ("to brag"), "[censored]" ("a self-important person"), and "cocky" ("overconfident"), just to name a few. "Cockalorum" (which may have derived from the obsolete Flemish word "kockeloeren," meaning "to crow") is another example. It dates back at least as far as 1715, when it was used to describe the Marquis of Huntly — son of the Duke of Gordon, a Celtic Highlander chief who was himself known as the "[censored] of the North." Presumably, the Marquis was not exactly known for his humility.

April 07, 2012
Word of the Day

LOQUACIOUS
audio pronunciation
\loh-KWAY-shus\

DEFINITION

adjective
1
: full of excessive talk : wordy
2
: given to fluent or excessive talk : garrulous

EXAMPLES

The children were loquacious on the car ride back from the zoo, chattering endlessly about all the animals they saw.

"As the week sped by, we decided to take a break from our paradise for a jungle trip with the delightful, loquacious ‘Uncle Yip’, the resident nature expert. He started with a lecture and a detailed analysis of the flowers in the foyer." — From an article by Imogen Stubbs in Harper's, February 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

When you hear or say "loquacious," you might notice that the word has a certain poetic ring. In fact, poets quickly snatched up "loquacious" soon after its debut in 1656 and, with poetic license, stretched its meaning to include such things as the chattering of birds and the babbling of brooks. In less poetic uses, "loquacious" usually means "excessively talkative." The ultimate source of all this chattiness is "loqui," a Latin verb meaning "to speak." Other words descended from "loqui" include "colloquial," "eloquent," "soliloquy," and "ventriloquism."


OH NO, I IS ONE! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/doh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/paperbag.gif" alt="" />

Maybe I should take a vow of silence. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />















NAH! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

Randy, no need to join the Order of the Quiet............We like your loquacious
vernacular and discussions <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

Uh OK, I think. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> I not good with big words. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

April 08, 2012
Word of the Day

HYPHENATE
audio pronunciation
\HYE-fuh-nayt\

DEFINITION

noun
: a person who performs more than one function (as a producer-director in filmmaking)

EXAMPLES

Ever ambitious, Laura has proven herself to be an accomplished musical hyphenate — composing, performing, and recording all her own musical compositions.

"So who is [actor Justin Theroux]? It’s not surprising that the Hollywood hyphenate, who recently co-scripted this summer's movie version of the Broadway musical Rock of Ages, became a writer. His mother is a journalist and author; his uncle is acclaimed travel writer Paul Theroux." — From an article by David A. Keeps in New York Magazine, February 12, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

In the early 20th century, the noun "hyphenate" referred to a resident or citizen of the U.S. whose recent foreign national origin caused others to question his or her patriotic loyalties — with or without there being just cause for that questioning. These hyphenates — the Irish-Americans, German-Americans, and others — were objects of suspicion. The hyphenates we're highlighting today are more often objects of admiration. Since around 1974, we've been referring to people with hyphens in their titles — producer-directors, for example, as "hyphenates."

Well there wasn't a word for today listed. So in honor of Dans Monday announcement I picked this.

JUBILATION
noun
Definition of JUBILATION
1
: an act of rejoicing : the state of being jubilant
2
: an expression of great joy
See jubilation defined for English-language learners »
See jubilation defined for kids »
Examples of JUBILATION

the jubilation of the crowd

First Known Use of JUBILATION
14th century

April 12, 2012
Word of the Day

TRAGUS
audio pronunciation
\TRAY-gus\

DEFINITION

noun
: the prominence in front of the external opening of the outer ear

EXAMPLES

"The tragus, she explains, is the tough fold of cartilage that sticks out from the ear at the entrance to the ear canal." — From an article in the Irish Independent, December 5, 2011

"Siobhan … got her nose pierced as soon as she got to the State University of New York campus in Buffalo last September, and on Halloween pierced her tragus, the cartilage at the front of her ear." — From an article by Nancy Hass in The New York Times, November 6, 2005

DID YOU KNOW?

The tragus is the tongue-like projection of the outer ear. Its name comes from the Greek word "tragos," meaning "he-goat." According to hearsay, the Greek word was influenced by Peloponnesian tragedy. In this style of drama, satyrs were represented as goatlike creatures, and their prominent ears became associated with a feature of our own human ears. "Tragos" contributed to the English language in another way as well; it is also the word from which "tragedy" is derived.

April 13, 2012
Word of the Day

QUERULOUS
audio pronunciation
\KWAIR-yuh-lus\

DEFINITION

adjective
1
: habitually complaining
2
: fretful, whining

EXAMPLES

“Are we there yet?” asked a querulous voice from the back seat of the car.

"In his personal affairs [Joseph] Roth is querulous here to the point of annoyance. He complains about everything: his health, his squabbles with editors, the shabby hotels where he lived, the bad translations of his work, his problems with women and, most of all, his unending financial woes, some of them self-inflicted by the penchant for drink that contributed to his early death." — From a book review by Larry Rohter in the New York Times, March 4, 2012

DID YOU KNOW?

English speakers have tagged fearful whiners "querulous" since late medieval times. The Middle English form of the word, "querelose," was an adaptation of the Latin adjective, "querulus," which in turn evolved from the Latin verb "queri," meaning "to complain." "Queri" is also an ancestor of the English words "quarrel" and "quarrelsome," but it isn't an ancestor of the noun "query" (meaning "question"). No need to complain that we're being coy; we're happy to let you know that "query" descends from the Latin verb "quaerere," meaning "to ask."